7/1/2023 football Edit

FSU lands commitment from 4-star defensive end prospect DD Holmes

Patrick Burnham • TheOsceola

Football/Recruiting Analyst

Defensive end prospect DD Holmes announced on Saturday that he has committed to Florida State.

Holmes, who is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, is from Washington (DC) Gonzaga High. The rising senior committed to FSU a week after his official visit to Tallahassee.

Holmes chose FSU over Rutgers, Maryland and South Carolina. He announced his decision on an Instagram live stream after taking official visits to all four schools in June.

"Just the people at Florida State, when I went there on my unofficial and official visit, it just felt like home," Holmes said when asked by a family member why he chose FSU. "It felt like the people there care about me more than as a football player. I felt a lot of love from the university, from the coaching staff and the players."

As a junior, Holmes started 10 games and registered 37 tackles including eight TFLs and two sacks. He is the 28th-best strongside defensive end prospect in the class of 2024.

Holmes is the first defensive end to commit to FSU for this recruiting cycle. The Seminoles also have a commitment from defensive lineman Jamorie Flagg from Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington.

Analysis of Holmes

Osceola Recruiting Analyst Pat Burnham on Holmes: "DD has great size and length and a strong lower body. He can play with his hand in the ground or from a two-point. He does an excellent job of pursuit and closing down the line of scrimmage vs. run away from him. Does a good job of using his arms to create separation vs. base run blocks. Doesn't possess elite burst or quickness of the ball at this point in his development. He does play hard and uses good leverage and shows good change of direction when he has to redirect to the ball. You do see glimpses of explosiveness and athleticism. Holmes as a lot of raw physical skills to work with. And he could be a prospect, because of his size, that eventually moves inside to tackle."

Osceola Recruiting Analyst Charles Fishbein on Holmes: "I would imagine this is what Jared Verse looked like in high school. He is raw but you can see the potential. Holmes will need time to develop. He can set the edge on run plays. He is very good against the run. He can also get off the ball and get to the quarterback. He is not an elite pass rusher at this time, but we feel that part of his game can be developed. He has the potential to be very good down the road."